Biobased Nanofibrous Membrane via Delayed-Volatilizing Green Electrospinning for High-Performance Air Filtration

Biobased high-performance air filters via green electrospinning are the key to reducing the energy crisis and the environmental burden. However, the complicated postprocessing limits its application. In this research, a green solution system with delayed volatilization was constructed, and a zein/cinnamaldehyde (CMA) composite nanofibrous membrane with optimized structure was produced by one-step electrospinning. The addition of CMA significantly decreased the volatility of the solution, deferring the clogging time of the nozzle and thus smoothing the electrospinning process. The time from the start of electrospinning to nozzle blockage increased by over 300%, resulting in a significant improvement in fiber morphology. The air filtration efficiency for PM0.3, the pressure drop, and the quality factor were 99.25%, 58.2 Pa, and 0.084 Pa–1, respectively, compared to the membrane without CMA addition and N95 mask. Moreover, the CMA improved the hydrophobicity of the zein nanofiber, which helped improve the stability of air filtration and endowed the nanofibers with certain antibacterial properties. This work is the first to report that CMA improves continuity in electrospinning, which will promote the development of green electrospinning and the preparation of a high-performance biobased air filter.